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Obasan - Online Term Papers

Obasan

"I want to break loose from the heavy identity…I am tired of living between deaths and funerals, weighted with decorum, unable to shout or sing or dance, unable to scream or swear, unable to laugh, unable to breathe out loud." (102). In Joy Kogawa's . Naomi, a young female of Japanese decent is forced to adapt and grow into the Canadian society. She is faced with great pressures because of the events of WWII and the internment of Japanese Canadians. Her childhood is complicated by the absence of her mother and she is driven to grow up under two separate definitions of womanhood. Guidance is provided by her two aunts, and Emily. The complication arises due to their contrasting ...

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her complete identity.
The differing forms of communication by the two aunts play a role in Naomi's lifestyle choice: with her use of Japanese silence and Emily through her straight forwardness. lives her life through a shell that traps her thoughts and feelings inside. She expresses her feelings in her actions and with occasional Japanese phrases. This is evident in the following description by Naomi; "I feel that each breath she takes is weighted with her morality. She is the old woman of many Japanese legends, alone and waiting in her ancient time for the honour that is an old person's reward.". Naomi throughout the book is constantly searching for messages and attempting to find 's love. Complicating the situation for Naomi is the use of the Japanese language by . Naomi was raised in Canada and had learned only the basic Japanese words. Naomi's brother, Stephen, has totally ignored the Japanese language as we see in this quote, "He grunts as tries to help ...

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Obasan. (2008, October 25). Retrieved February 4, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Obasan/91974

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"Obasan." Essayworld.com. October 25, 2008. Accessed February 4, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Obasan/91974.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/25/2008 12:16:40 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1220
Pages: 5

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